Why I Don't Play Golf

I've spent many hours lifting weights over the past 50-plus years - but I've never played a single game of golf.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's Daylight Savings time today - meaning
that those of us in the USA need to move
our clocks one hour ahead.

That means that it's going to be darker in
the morning - and lighter in the evening.

My grandfather hated Daylight Savings
Time.

He believed the politicians in Washington
cooked it up to give rich bankers and
similar "fat cats" (his term) an extra
hour to play golf.

My grandfather was an immigrant - he
came over from Slovakia as a teenager -
and he and his brothers all worked in the
steel mills in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

So, as you might imagine, he wasn't a
big fan of rich bankers and similar fat
cats.

Nor was he a fan of golf. He thought it
was a game for fat cats.

As far as I know, he never played it.

In fact, he probably never set foot on
a golf course.

My father followed in his footsteps.

He played golf exactly ONE time - at
a course in California when he was in
the Navy during WW2.

He did it because some buddies wanted
to play golf.

But that's the only time he ever played
the game.

And possibly the only time he ever set
foot on a golf course.

So it should come as no surprise when I
say that I, too, have never played a
single game of golf.

But I have set foot on a golf course.

There's a course at a big park not far
from where we live - and it's on high
ground - with some steep, wooded
hills at the edge of the course.

I used to go out and run sprints up
those hills - while carrying a pair of
old York globe dumbbells weighing
70 pounds.

When I got to the top I'd put them
down, catch my breath - and then
go back down and do it all over
again.

So I actually have spent a fair amount
of time on a golf course.

But that's okay - my grandfather
would have said it doesn't count
if you're carrying a pair of heavy
dumbbells.

In any event, today's the "turn your
clock forward day" - so remember to
do it.

And if you train today (as I will) make
it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. 
Do you have the Oct, Nov, Dec,
Jan and Feb issues of The Dinosaur
Files?


If not, go here to grab them:

Oct - Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

Feb issue

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-february2018pdf.html



P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
here at Dino Headquarters - including
links to my PDF courses and my Kindle
books:

Hard-copy and PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"They really ought to call it Daylight
Training Time."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

Favorite Exercises of the Dinosaurs (Part 1)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We've received some great feedback in
response to my email about my favorite
exercises.

Here are some of the favorite exercises
of your fellow Dinosaurs:

Three Good Ones!

Hi Brooks,

Three favorite exercises come to mind:

1. Farmer's carry with two 100 lb. sandbags

2. Overhead press with a 2" bar. Can't beat it!

3. Heavy pause front squats. Brutal!

All the best!

Rich Madigan

An Old School Favorite!

Handstand Pushups!  Very, very few people
can do them and they really make you feel
strong in the arms and shoulders.  These
really separate the men from the boys and
they can be trained progressively.

Charles Mitchell

Four Favorites - Including a Dr. Ken Special

Hi Brooks!

These are my favorite exercises.  Not in any
order, just the ones I like the best.

1. Push Press

2. Pulls

3. Front Squat

4. Stiff Leg Dead Lift on a block (knees are
slightly bent)  1x12 warm-up slow, then one
all out set 1 x 6  per Dr Ken.

Take care -  Rich Frisk

A Walk-Around Work-Around

Ordinarily, I would say that the deadlift is my
favorite exercise. However, I have recently
been battling with Patellofemoral syndrome
and so anything that really involves bending
of my knees causes pretty intense pain/swelling.

As a result, I have been searching for a good
multi-joint, compound move that could take
place of the deadlift temporarily. So, right
now, Farmers Walk has been my go to
exercise!

It allows me to not have to bend my knees
much, so no pain, and it also allows me to
handle some respectable weight, so I still
get good indirect impact on the rest of my
body and metabolism.

Dustin Jones

Those are good choices! We have more emails
from the Dinos, and we'll share them soon. In
the meantime, don't be shy - shoot me an email
and let me know YOUR favorite exercises!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for the May-June
issue of The Dinosaur Files - be sure
to check out the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_mayjune2016.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
the tools of the trade for a strongman. Use
the very best ones." - Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

The Best Measure of Strength -- More Reader Responses!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are more responses from your fellow
Dinos about the best measure of strength
and power:

1. A Clean and Press Vote.

"I say the clean and press. It has both a
strength component, taking a weight from
the ground to overhead, working the entire
body, and it has a cardio and endurance
component.

Thus, it measures most attributes of an
athlete, specifically strength and strength
endurance." 

John G.

 2. A Vote for the Clean and Push Press.

"Personally, I lean toward the clean and
push press. It allows a heavier weight
than the strict press, and uses more
muscles in the pressing part of the
movement. And the heavier weight
makes the clean much harder.

The Olympic lifts are so technique
dependent that they demonstrate
more than pure strength.

The three lift powerlifting total is a
close second in my opinion, despite
the lack of an overhead lift.

But, as you say, there is no "right"
answer.

Had you asked which single lift was the
best measure of athleticism, the quick
and simple answer would be either
Olympic lift!"

Bill T.

3. A Five In One Answer!

 "The best measure of strength and power
is obviously the five lift total of the three
power lifts and the two Olympic lifts.

Power (the measure of strength times
speed) is best measured by the Olympic
lifts. Speed is critical in the snatch and
the clean and jerk.

The best measure of strength is the power
lift total. Using the total as a measurement
helps balance out the mechanical advantages
a lifter may have in any one lift.

Isn't it funny that powerlifting measures
strength and Olympic lifting measures
power?"

Jim D.

4. How About Manhood Stones?

"Clean and press along with dead lift seem like
the obvious answer. But I think strongman gets
it right when all is said and done. Yokes and
farmer's walks, dragging, pushing and carrying.

The learning curve is very nominal. It's how we
all get around. Who can move around with the
greatest burden?

We also can look a little further in our collective
past and notice how many cultures utilized heavy
stones to test their male population. They weren't
called manhood stones for nothing!"

Ray J.

Those are all good answers. We'll cover more
later in the week!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover a wide range of strength and power
building methods in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power. Go here to grab
them:

Strength, Muscle and Power

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses, DVDs, links to
my PDF products, links to my Kindle e-books, and
the monthly Dinosaur Files newsletter, are right
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Life is movement,
and stronger movement makes a better life."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

10 Great Exercises for Dinos!

Sig Klein

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll talk iron in a minute, but let me
begin with two quick updates.

1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, Issue
No. 4

Is available in hard copy or Kindle e-book,
and it's been getting rave reviews:

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterlyorder.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_04_kindle.html

2. The Revolution Continues!

That's the title of Book 1 in the new Dinosaur
Strength Training Archive series -- which collects
and updates the very best of my articles from the
original Dinosaur Files newsletter published back
in 1997 thru 2002. Plus, it includes a brand new
power rack training program.

It, too, has been getting great reviews:

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_archive.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

3. Ten Great Exercises for Dinos

Here are ten great exercises for Dinos.

They're not new, but I bet many of you
have never done them -- or have not done
them for awhile.

1. The Farmer's walk

Train these heavy, and you'll hit everything
from your toes to your eyeballs. And it's one
of the best grip builders there is.

2. The One Arm Military Press

Do these with a dumbbell, not a barbell, and
do them strict. The one arm military press will
build cannonball delts on a no. 2 pencil. (A line
I borrowed from Bradley J. Steiner.)

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for tips
on how to perform the exercise.

3. Pinch grip deadlifts

Use a homemade pinch grip block made out
of a 2 x 8 inch board. This is one of the best
exercises for your thumbs.

4. Weighted leg raises

A terrific gut-blaster. Start light, but plan to work
up to 25 or more pounds. I've done them with 35
pounds extra weight, which is a bear.

5. Handstand push-ups

This was one of the secret weapons of many
old-time strongmen and weightlifters. They
used it to build their amazing strength in the
military press.

Sig Klein (pictured above) was a master of the
handstand push-up.  He did them freestyle, i.e.,
a perfectly balanced handstand -- but it's also
okay to do them with y0our feet against the
wall.

6. Crush style Grippers

I'm talking about heavy duty grippers, of
course. Train them hard and you'll build
hand and grip strength that is downright
scary.

7. One arm dumbbell shrugs

Train these heavy, and your traps will start
growing like oak trees.

8. One arm dumbbell bench presses

Work up to heavy weights on these and you'll
build some serious upper body strength -- with
muscular development to match!

9. Double Towel Pull-Ups

I cover these and other great pull-up variations
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. They're one of
the toughest and most effective upper body
exercises.

10. Front squat partials

Many dinos like heavy quarter squats to build
bone, tendon and ligament strength -- but did
you ever try 1/4 squats with the bar in the front
squat position? It's a bear . . .  Of course, you
need to do them in a power rack with the pins
set to catch the bar.

So there you have it -- 10 great exercises for
Dinos! Give them a try, and let me know how
you like them.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. if you train today, make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training have some unusual and
highly effective exercises:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to all of my Kindle e-books -- are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard and heavy,
and have fun." -- Brooks Kubik

************************************************************************************

High Reps or Low Reps?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's start the week with a training
question. This one is from Blake
Rosenbaum -- and it's a fairly
common question:

"From what I understand,  you put
all of your focus into very high
weight and low reps. But I was
curious if the strength gained
from low rep high weight exercises
carried over to high rep exercises.
Example: you have gotten to the
point of being able to do a rep
or two of dips with 200 pounds
strapped on, would that strength
carry over to being able to do,
say, fifty reps of bodyweight
dips? etc.

I absolutely love the idea of getting
dinosaur strong but I also would like
to be able to do these motions all
day at lower weight if I needed to.
For example a farmer wouldn't be worth
much if he could carry a 500 pound
"weight" in each hand, but couldn't
carry his five hundred 50 pound bales
to his  barn.

So if I want both types of strength,
would just the super heavy training
carry over well enough, or would it
be better to train HARD with heavy
weight one week and train HARD to
the point of absolute failure the
next? Or more clearly, what is the
best way to achieve both?

Thank you for your help,
Blake Rosenbaum"

Blake -- Thanks for your question.
I'm sure many readers have wondered
the same thing.

The answer lies in something called
the specificity principle.

If your goal is to be super strong
for low reps -- or for single rep
efforts in competition -- you need
to perform low reps with heavy weights
in your training.

If your goal is to do be able to
high reps with lighter weights --
or to perform high reps in bodyweight
exercises -- then you need to focus
on that kind of training.

In my experience, there's little
carry-over from low reps to high reps
and vice-versa. If you train for X,
you develop X -- and if you train for
Y, you develop Y. Training for X does
not develop Y.

The more difficult question is how to
achieve both the low rep strength and
the high rep strength (which is better
described as "muscular endurance").

You have several possible options:

1. Alternate between low rep workouts
and high rep workouts -- for example,
low reps on Mon, high reps on Wed, and
low reps on Friday. This works well for
many trainees.

1A. Do NOT try to do three heavy, low
rep workouts and three high rep workouts
in the same week -- that's way too much
training.

2. Train on low reps (or on high reps)
exclusively until you've achieved a
high level of success, and then train
exclusively on the other. Some trainees
prefer to do this -- and it works well
for them.

3. Build low rep strength with heavy
training, and finish your workouts with
finishers -- such as the farmer's walk
and the sandbag carry. This will help
you build high levels of strength and
muscular endurance at the same time.
This is the approach I detail in my
books and courses, and it works great.
See Dinosaur Training, Strength, Muscle
and Power and Gray Hair and Black Iron
for details.

To everyone -- thanks for reading,
and have a great day -- and a great
week. If you train today, make it a
good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about those Dino-style
workouts, grab these power packed training
books:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Set your goal,
plan your strategy, and do the work."
-- Brooks Kubik

Three Great Exercises for Strength and Vitality!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday, we talked about the T
thing and I suggested that diet
and exercise are the most important
factors in maintaining high levels
throughout your entire life.

Not pills.

Not creams.

Not shots.

Nothing you get in a bottle, a jar
or a tube.

Nothing you get from your doctor.

No, it's something entirely different.

Something you get by putting on your
sweats, pulling on your lifting shoes,
walking out into the garage or the
basement (or into the gym), and
grabbing and lifting some heavy
iron.

It's called exercise.

And when it's the right kind of exercise,
it makes all the difference in the world.

Yesterday, I gave you some suggestions
on good exercises -- and on sets and
reps -- to get your body producing as
much male hormone as possible.

Here are some more ideas:

1. The farmer's walk

Hard to beat for combined leg and back
training -- and for getting you breathing
hard and heavy.

Go as far as you can -- rest and repeat.

Rest a bit, then do it again.

Distance varies depending on how heavy
you go. Don't worry about doing it
"right." It's all good.

2. The Hise shrug

This is the old Joe Hise shrug with the
bar posiitoned as if you were going to
do a set of squats. Once again, a great
exercise for the legs and hips and back,
and one of the very best for the breathing
muscles. 

The classic is 1 x 20 or 1 x 30. Three times
five or ten works well for major strength
gains.

Remember to breathe DEEP on each rep. Lift
the chest and the rib cage as high as possible.

And, of course, do these in a power rack,
since you'll be supporting a super heavy
weight.

3. High pulls

Do these for sets of five or sets of three.
Start light and work up, adding weight on
each set.

You can use a snatch grip or a clean grip.

These work the back and hips super hard --
and they also get you breathing like a
runaway locomotive -- all of which is
very good for you.

By the way, note that all three exercises
mentioned in this message work the traps
extremely hard. The traps are a BIG muscle
and they need a lot of work -- and when you
build them, they help make you strong like
a bull. There's a link between big traps
and super vitality. George Jowett used to
write about this back in the day -- and as
always, he was right on the money.

So when you train -- think legs, hips and
back -- and shoulders -- and traps -- and
work them hard!

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a
good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can hit your back muscles -- including
your traps -- very effectively with the old
school exercises in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Specialize on
your legs, hips and back -- and on your traps --
and on your shoulders. Focus your efforts where
your training does you the most good."
-- Brooks Kubik